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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27521908">Home</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/little0bird/pseuds/little0bird'>little0bird</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars: Rebels</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Epilogue, Episode: s04e15-16 Family Reunion – and Farewell, Ewoks (Star Wars), Imperial Officers (Star Wars), M/M, Movie: Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Planet Endor (Star Wars), Planet Lira San (Star Wars), Post-Battle of Endor (Star Wars), Post-Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, kalluzeb - Freeform, let's go home, post war plans</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 02:42:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,934</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27521908</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/little0bird/pseuds/little0bird</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Zeb glanced down at the datapad in his hand to reassure himself the message was still there. ‘Do ya know where ya want to go now that it’s all over?’</p><p>Kallus turned onto his side, mindful of the trailing tubes in his arm. ‘I haven’t the faintest idea. I haven’t thought about it, if we’re being completely honest.’ He snorted with a sardonic laugh. ‘I lived on Imperial starships or Imperial bases from the age of fourteen until I defected for good. Then Rebel bases and Rebel starships… It isn’t as though I have a home to return to. I wouldn’t know my parents if they stood in front of me. They’re probably dead by now.’ He rolled the edge of the blanket between his thumb and forefinger. ‘Perhaps we can find some Mid Rim city where no one will look twice at us.’</p><p>Zeb set the datapad aside, the message from Chava glowing on its screen. ‘Come home with me.’</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alexsandr Kallus/Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>139</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kallus crashed through the thick underbrush of the forest, anticipation thrumming through his veins. The <em>Ghost </em>had landed some time ago, but he couldn’t rest until he saw for himself that Zeb was safe and unharmed. ‘Zeb!’ The Lasat was easy to pick out amongst the trees. His purple fur stood out against the browns and greens of the foliage. The sharp scent of the redwoods couldn’t mask the heavy, musky odor of him, either. Kallus would know that particular fragrance anywhere. Even in an Imperial Star Destroyer garbage compactor. He sprinted to Zeb, the camouflage poncho flapping behind him. He launched himself at Zeb with enough force to make him stagger a little from the impact. ‘You made it!’</p><p>‘’Course I did,’ Zeb told him. ‘Takes more’n puny bucketheads flyin’ tin cans to take me down.’ He lifted Kallus off his feet to close the difference in their heights and kissed him thoroughly on the mouth, ignoring the sounds of disgust coming from the prisoners. He let Kallus slide down his body until the other man stood on his feet once more and examined him closely. Kallus was disheveled with a smudge of dirt on one side of his face. A long rip down the side of his trousers fluttered a little in the breeze. Zeb bent his head and inhaled deeply. The mingled aromas of sweat, smoke, and crushed plants layered over Kallus’ usual scent, redolent of the soap supplied in the ‘freshers on Rebel cruisers. He was relieved not to detect the metallic tang of human blood. He pressed his forehead to Kallus’. ‘Nice work with the bunker. Shield came down just in time.’</p><p>Kallus hooked a thumb in the direction of a trio of Ewoks holding spears and clubs in a menacing fashion at the officers. One of the officers tried to shove the spear out of his face and received an emphatic jab in the shoulder for his troubles. ‘We had some help.’</p><p>‘And Rex?’ Zeb scanned the forest behind Kallus.</p><p>‘Fine. Got a little singed by a blaster bolt, but it’s merely a flesh wound.’ He laced his fingers with Zeb’s. ‘We acquired some data before it all blew to pieces I need to look at, but I wanted to see for myself that you were alive.’ He stood on his toes to rub his cheeks against Zeb’s. ‘Shouldn’t take long.’ He hoped it didn’t. The aftermath of the victory left him feeling frisky, and he meant to find a suitable clearing and kriff Zeb until neither of them could walk.</p><p>‘Traitor.’ One of the Imperial officers spat the word into the clearing.</p><p>Kallus slowly turned back to the prisoners. He knew that voice, but he couldn’t place it. ‘What did you say?’</p><p>The man stepped through the throng of officers. Kallus’ eyes widened as a shaft of sunlight lit his face. Yogar Lyste. The last few years hadn’t been kind to him. He’d acquired the slightly emaciated look of many Imperial soldiers who lived off the liquid protein meal replacement the Empire used to feed its military. ‘Alexsandr Kallus. ISB-021. You’re a traitor to the Empire and an abomination. Lying with that… <em>thing</em>,’ Lyste sneered.</p><p>Kallus threw himself at Lyste with a feral snarl, slamming him into the massive trunk of one of the enormous trees that populated Endor. He wrapped both hands around his former colleague’s throat, thumbs lightly pressing against his larynx. ‘Say that again,’ he demanded in the preterrnaturally calm, silky tones he’d once used to interrogate prisoners for the Empire. His hands tightened imperceptibly. Lyste bared his teeth in a grimace of thinly veiled pain.</p><p>‘Trust a beast to let a human fight his battles for him,’ another officer scoffed, loud enough for Zeb to hear.</p><p>Zeb shrugged, and folded his arms across his chest. ‘Not m’battle to fight,’ he drawled. He buffed his claws on the front of his jumpsuit. If anything since joining the Rebellion, Kallus had gained a few kilos of muscle, along with a sense of righteous indignation where Zeb was concerned. It was only when Lyste began to thrash weakly under Kallus’ grip did he step forward. ‘Let him go, Alex. He’s not worth it.’ The unspoken undertone hung between them. <em>It’s not our way</em>.</p><p>Kallus released Lyste, watching his face fade from magenta back to the sickly pale hue of most Imperial officers as he slid down the trunk of the redwood and landed in an ungainly heap among the ferns. Kallus spun on a heel and began to march from the clearing. ‘Scum,’ Lyste rasped through his bruised throat.</p><p>Kallus froze in mid-step. He threw a look over his shoulder at Lyste, the knuckles in one hand cracking as he clenched it into a fist. ‘<em>Rebel</em> scum,’ he corrected, then left in search of a functioning workstation that could read Imperial data cylinders.</p>
<hr/><p>Kallus leaned back in the chair and stretched from his fingertips to his toes. A self-satisfied smirk drifted over his face. Imperials were too often careless with data. It was a symptom of the utter arrogance of the Empire. Few officers took the time to regularly scrub the information on their data cylinders. The ones that did predominately came from the ranks of the ISB. Furthermore, the Empire was sclerotic to the point of near immobilization when it came to revising or updating its procedures and protocol. Everything standardized down to amount of information a data cylinder could hold. They never updated security codes, as was painfully evident when the commando team used a code from Kallus’ days as an Imp to get through the deflector shield. The confiscated cylinders in his hand outlined everything: troop movements, supply depots, weapons caches. He even had personnel files of all the high-ranking officers. And now that both Palpatine and Vader were dead, the Empire would take its last, gasping breath.</p><p>Kallus scooped up the cylinders and tucked them into a pouch on his belt. He left the stolen Lambda class shuttle that had brought him to Endor, almost startled to find night had fallen over the forest moon. He struck out toward the distant glow of fires in the Ewok village, following the delectable scent of something roasting over an open fire. His stomach rumbled noisily, reminding him it had been a long time since he’d gulped down his share of a grain and fruit porridge that morning, hours before the attack. He hoped it wasn’t some hapless Stormtrooper well on its way to becoming the Ewoks’ dinner. He didn’t wish that on his worst enemy. He could do with a solid meal, though. He’d spent most of the last several days living off the occasional ration bar and the sort of tasteless liquid protein the Empire fed its military, because he hadn’t wanted to take the time to make his way to the mess for a meal. Kallus’ mouth watered at the thought of real food and not synthesized protein.</p><p>He wound his way through the knots and clusters of Rebels. Someone shoved a cup of something into his hand. The sweet, rich bouquet of Wedge Antilles’ Red Squadron lomin ale wafted from the cup. Under normal circumstances, Kallus found that Wedge’s lomin ale bordered on the edge of sickly sweet, but at this moment, it tasted like the finest nectar. He quickly drained the cup, and just as quickly, it was refilled. He sipped the ale as he wandered from fire to fire, searching for the <em>Ghost</em>’s crew. Most of the rebels laughed and smiled while they danced among the fires of the Ewok village. More than a few sat in solemn silence as they remembered a loved one lost to the Empire. Some gave into raw grief, mourning the loss of a friend or lover during the heat of the earlier battle. A flicker of light in the inky darkness caught his attention. He stood on the platform, watching as a tiny flame floated through the night, then rippled into a larger conflagration. It must have been the funeral pyre. The Skywalker boy had arrived on a shuttle, bearing the husk of what had once been Darth Vader, who had himself once been the long lost Jedi Anakin Skywalker. A strange turn of fate, indeed, but there were far more things in the galaxy than he could have dreamed. Kallus had idolized Anakin Skywalker as a child, and could recite his origin story like it was his own. To a child from Coruscant’s surface, Anakin’s rise from Tatooine slave to Jedi Knight was nothing, if not worthy of veneration. Perhaps later, when he was able to think clearly, Kallus might appreciate the grim humor of it all. He’d worked alongside his childhood idol for years, and never knew it.</p><p>Kallus turned away from the distant fire, and resumed his search for Zeb, Hera, and Rex. Everything was slightly blurry, and his feet didn’t seem to work properly. Kallus shrugged to himself and tilted the cup over his mouth, letting the last, fruity drops slide down his throat. ‘More, Captain Kallus?’ inquired a young tech, who barely looked old enough to be out of nappies, holding out a jug. Kallus extended his cup in reply. More lomin ale, but this one seemed even sweeter, due to the shuura fruit popular in the Blue Squadron’s lomin ale recipe. Rex materialized out of the darkness, and took the cup from Kallus’ lax fingers. ‘You look done in,’ he said, passing the cup under his nose. He recoiled slightly at the fumes. Blue Squadron’s lomin ale tended to be stealthily potent, and Rex had seen it knock more than a few hardened soldiers on their arses. ‘Come on, now. Let’s get some food in you before you fall on your nose.’ Rex took a sip. ‘How much of this stuff have you had?’</p><p>‘Jus’ two.’</p><p>‘Two’s enough.’ Rex grasped Kallus by the elbow and towed him to one of the smaller fires. As they approached, Zeb dug a couple of tubers from the embers and split them open with a small knife. The soft, yellow flesh steamed in the cooler air. Kallus stared at Zeb in incomprehension as he babbled about trying to explain to the Ewoks that his mate didn’t eat meat and the Ewoks’ howls of laughter at the concept. Kallus reached for the wooden plate, and promptly pitched forward, eyes rolling back into his head.</p><p>Zeb dropped the plate and caught him, lowering Kallus to the platform. ‘Alex…? Alex!’ Zeb shook his shoulder, frantic with worry. ‘Karabast…’ He looked up. ‘I need a medic!’</p><p>A small woman with her hair bound back from her face in a series of complicated braids shouldered him aside. Zeb had seen her from time to time around various Rebel bases. She didn’t look old enough to be a medic, much less a doctor, but her badge indicated she was a doctor with a tiny blue and green orb that indicated she was one of the surviving Alderaanians. It said her name was Kaeden Larte. She held a scanner over Kallus. ‘Typical,’ she murmured with a rueful shake of her head. It wasn’t the first time she’d treated Kallus for exhaustion. Intelligence types were all the same. They all pushed themselves far past the point of their endurance, spent a day or so in the medbay, then were back at it. No amount of cajoling, coaxing, or stern orders could pull them from the vicious — and entirely avoidable — cycle. Alexsandr Kallus was no exception. ‘We have a medbay set up near here, down on the ground. Can you carry him? Or would you rather wait for a stretcher?’</p><p>‘Nothing to it,’ Zeb assured her. He hoisted Kallus over his shoulder and followed Kaeden to a spiral staircase and picked his way down to the forest floor.</p><p>‘He’ll be fine,’ Kaeden assured him. It was just simple exhaustion, although if she had to judge based on the fug of lomin ale fumes that hung over him, that hadn’t helped. ‘Sleep, food — well, nutrition at least — and more sleep. In that order.’</p><p>‘Ya said this was typical…’</p><p>‘Don’t even finish that thought, Captain Orrelios,’ Kaeden said crisply. ‘I couldn’t care less that the two of you are in each other’s back pockets, all but a mated pair. Some things are the sole provenance of a doctor and her patient.’ She gestured to a large pavilion set up some distance away, glowing with warm yellow light. They set off toward it. Kaeden ran her scanner over him and gave Zeb a pointed look. ‘If you don’t want to be in a bed next to Captain Kallus, I’d prescribe some sleep for you, too.’ She snorted. ‘If I thought you’d listen.’</p><p>‘Ehhhh, I promise, I’ll get some sleep sitting next to him.’ From the dubious expression in her face Kaeden didn’t seem too impressed with that answer. ‘I’ve slept in worse places,’ he assured her.</p><p>A few medics jogged out to meet them with a stretcher. ‘We’ll take it from here, Captain,’ Kaeden told him.</p><p>Zeb maneuvered Kallus from his shoulder to the stretcher with a grunt. ‘Karabast. He’s a lot heavier than he looks.’ It was an old jest between the two of them. Zeb could easily lift and carry him, provided he wasn’t attempting to escape from an ice cavern, with creatures who wanted to eat him for lunch hot on his heels. ‘Hey, doc…’</p><p>‘Yeah?’</p><p>Zeb tugged at the gorget around his neck. ‘He’s… He’s my…’ <em>He’s my world. My home.</em></p><p>Kaeden flashed a reassuring smile at Zeb. ‘I know.’ She motioned to the medics to take Kallus into the medbay. ‘We’ll take excellent care of him.’</p>
<hr/><p>If anyone had bothered to ask, Kallus would readily admit he had no idea how much time had passed when he fully awoke in the temporary medbay. He did have hazy memories of swimming toward consciousness when the medics shifted his inert body into a new position or when one of them came to collect a sample of his blood to ascertain if his nutrition or medications needed an adjustment, then sinking back down under the waves of deep sleep. He thought he recognized the people who sat next to his bed. The particular shade of green that said Hera. The blur of tan and white of Rex. And of course, the smudge of purple his brain associated with Zeb. And his scent. Even his clothes smelled like Zeb. No amount of laundering could completely eradicate the scent of Lasat that permeated his clothes. Truthfully, he didn’t mind. Especially when Zeb was away on long missions.</p><p>He woke up, wedged between pillows, propped on his side. His eyes fluttered open and he blinked, the figure next to him swirled into focus.</p><p>Zeb sat in a chair with his feet propped up on a crate. He clutched a datapad in one hand. Someone had furled a blanket over him. He slept, chin nearly touching his chest. The corner of Kallus’ mouth turned up. He’d seen Zeb sleep in more than one unusual location over the last few years. Cold floors; hard, rocky ground; makeshift hammocks that barely held his bulk; even in the gunner turret on <em>Ghost</em> during hyperspace flight. He could fall asleep in the blink of an eye. <em>Sleep when you can, where you can</em>, the old soldiers’ canard went. He envied Zeb for that. It was a habit Kallus had never seemed to be able to develop, much to his chagrin.</p><p>He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing more than a faint croak came from his throat. He coughed, and Zeb sat upright, instantly alert. Before Kallus could do so much as crook his little finger, Zeb had removed the pillows holding Kallus in place, then raised the head of the bed. He held a cup of water to his mouth and let a few sips dribble into Kallus’ parched mouth. ‘What happened?’ Kallus rasped.</p><p>‘Yer body decided it had enough.’ Zeb retrieved the blanket from the ground and folded it. ‘When did ya sleep last?’ He fixed Kallus with a pointed glare. ‘A full night, mind, not twenty minutes with yer head on yer desk.’</p><p>Kallus smothered a sardonic chuckle. It was an oft repeated query ever since the day he well and truly left the Empire for good. Zeb was well aware of his proclivities. ‘How long have I been in here?’</p><p>‘Nearly two days.’</p><p>Kallus had to count backward. First, the Bothan brought the plans for the second Death Star… It took more than a day to decrypt and sift through all the information, then another day monitoring the secret communication frequency used by Palpatine’s staff and the commander of the Death Star to send and receive messages. A day to plan the attack itself. Two days to gather the fleet at the rendezvous point. Travel to Endor, then preparing for the attack. He’d managed to snatch an hour of sleep here and there when he could no longer force his eyes to stay open, but when was the last time he’d slept through the night? Or even most of the night? He hadn’t been able to sleep at all the night before they attacked the bunker. Stimulants had helped keep him going until they didn’t. He picked at the adhesive strip holding a needle in place in the back of his left hand. ‘Five days… I think? Maybe six?’</p><p>‘Ya push yourself too hard.’ It was an old argument.</p><p>‘Had to.’ It was an equally old rebuttal.</p><p>Zeb glanced down at the datapad in his hand to reassure himself the message was still there. ‘Do ya know where ya want to go now that it’s all over?’</p><p>Kallus turned onto his side, mindful of the trailing tubes in his arm. ‘I haven’t the faintest idea. I haven’t thought about it, if we’re being completely honest.’ He snorted with a sardonic laugh. ‘I lived on Imperial starships or Imperial bases from the age of fourteen until I defected for good. Then Rebel bases and Rebel starships… It isn’t as though I have a home to return to. I wouldn’t know my parents if they stood in front of me. They’re probably dead by now.’ He rolled the edge of the blanket between his thumb and forefinger. ‘Perhaps we can find some Mid Rim city where no one will look twice at us.’</p><p>Zeb set the datapad aside, the message from Chava glowing on its screen. ‘Come home with me.’</p><p>Kallus frowned. Had he heard Zeb correctly? He massaged the bridge of his nose. It was entirely possible he was in worse shape than he thought. ‘Do you even have a home in somewhere in this galaxy, Garazeb?’</p><p>A wistful smile drifted over Zeb’s face. ‘Yeah. I do.’ He then added, ’Do ya trust me?’</p><p>‘With my life.’</p><p>’So, come home with me, Alex.’ Zeb flicked the screen of the datapad. The message scrolled up a few lines. Chava mentioned a house on the edge of her village near hers. The approval of the village elders. And most importantly, the reassurance Kallus’ presence on Lira San would be tolerated, if not welcomed. Kallus’ Lasan was serviceable, if a little overly formal and stiff. Zeb knew he was being optimistic at thinking the two of them could settle on Lira San with few problems, but he thought he deserved a little optimism now.</p><p>Kallus squinted at him, searching for any trace of veiled amusement in Zeb’s expression. But the Lasat was as earnest as he’d ever seen. ‘I don’t suppose you’d care to tell me where this home of yours is located?’</p><p>Zeb chuckled. He’d sworn Hera to secrecy ages ago when he’d first broached the topic with Chava. ‘Nah… It’s a surprise.’</p><p>Kallus rolled his eyes and rearranged himself on the bed. ‘I don’t like surprises, Garazeb,’ he muttered, yawning, sleep threatening to pull him back under.</p><p>Zeb leaned over the bed, and pressed a surprisingly chaste kiss to Kallus’ forehead. ‘You’ll like this one, Alex.’ Kallus blinked drowsily, and then heard as through from a great distance. ’I’d bet my life on it.’</p>
<hr/><p>Hera leaned against the frame of the open doorway of Kallus’ quarters. Due to his irregular hours, he’d been assigned a rare, coveted single. Far from the luxury most would imagine, it was barely large enough for his bunk, footlocker, and a scrap of a desk, littered with scraps of flimsi. It was smaller than the bunks in <em>Ghost</em>. He still didn’t have much, beyond a few changes of clothes, a handful of holobooks, and a couple of holograms. It likely took him less than five minutes to pack the entirety of his existence into one small bag. ‘You know, I had my doubts about you,’ she said.</p><p>Kallus didn’t look up from the shirt he was folding into a precise rectangle. He’d known she was there from the second she appeared in his doorway, even though she hadn’t made a sound. ‘Oh?’ This was news to him, considering he’d been the Fulcrum agent for the Phoenix Squadron for a year, and often passed his information directly to Hera. He tugged self-consciously at the hem of his jacket.</p><p>‘Not about your devotion to the Rebellion. That was never a question for me after you defected.’ she clarified, dismissing it with a wave of her hand. ‘About you and Zeb.’</p><p>Kallus closed the bag and set it on the floor next to his bunk. ‘I see.’</p><p>Hera crossed into the room and perched on the edge of the desk. ‘I never thought you would be the one to make Zeb happy. That there was far too much history between the two of you.’ She pursed her lips, as she studied the former Imperial agent. Zeb had asked for the hyperspace pathway to Lira San weeks ago, fully intending to take Kallus there to live with the other Lasat. She wasn’t entirely sold on the idea, but Zeb was determined to do it. ‘But here we are.’</p><p>‘Where are you going to go?’ Kallus asked. ‘Back to Ryloth?’</p><p>Her answer surprised him. ‘Lothal.’ She shrugged at his raised brows with a self-effacing grin. ‘Kanan’s there. And that’s where I want to raise Jacen.’ Hera scuffed the toe of one boot on the floor. ‘And when Ezra comes home…’ She trailed off. They never said <em>if Ezra comes home</em>. It was always when.</p><p>Kallus swept the flimsi into a neat pile. Hera had never seemed to be the type to indulge in sentiment, but he supposed fighting in the Rebellion left little time for it. ‘I don’t suppose to you know where Garazeb plans to take us? He refuses to say.’</p><p>One corner of Hera’s mouth tilted up in a smile. ‘I do. But I’m not going to tell you. You’ll just have to go along for the ride.’ She patted his cheek. ‘But I think you’ll like it.’</p><p>Kallus’ comm crackled. ‘Alex, where the kark are ya? Transport’s ready, and the transport commander’s about to have a litter of loth-kits.’</p><p>He unclipped it from his belt. ‘On my way.’ He replaced the comm and retrieved his bag, scooping up the flimsi to drop in an incinerator on the way to the airlock. ‘I guess this is good-bye, then.’</p><p>‘Not forever, I hope. I expect to see both of you on Lothal. Often. Jacen would love a visit from his favorite uncles. Someone has to teach him to curse in a language other than Basic or Ryl.’</p><p>‘What makes you think Garazeb hasn’t already started?’ he retorted with a quiet laugh. ‘Fenn Rau already taught him most of the Mando’a slang for bodily functions.’ Kallus took a step toward the door, then hesitated, holding the flimsi to his chest. He knew Hera didn’t quite understand his relationship with Zeb, even as she somewhat reluctantly accepted it for Zeb’s sake. ‘Garazeb saved me,’ he told Hera quietly. ‘More than once.’</p><p>‘You saved yourself, Alexsandr. Zeb only offered you a key out of the prison the Empire put you in.’ If Kallus thought Hera had surprised him enough that day, he was wrong. She wrapped her arms wound him in the tight embrace she reserved for her family.</p><p>Kallus returned the gesture, tentatively at first, because Hera had rarely treated him with anything beyond the basic respect one would have for a capable colleague. He let his arms tighten around her seemingly frail frame and inhaled slowly. ‘I don’t have to be anyone other than who I am with him. And when I am with him…’ He shrugged, a touch of pink blooming in his cheeks. ‘It feels like home. Or what I think home must feel like.’</p><p>Hera cleared her throat. ‘You hurt him…’</p><p>‘I know. Chewbacca will rip my arms off at your command.’ Kallus adjusted the shoulder strap of his bag. ‘It was an honor to serve with you, Hera.’</p><p>‘And with you, Alexsandr. May the Force be with you.’</p><p>It was only after Hera walked away, did Kallus realize she had called him by his given name for the first time.</p>
<hr/><p>Kallus looked up from the holobook in his hands. The size of the ship meant it was faint, but he recognized the tell-tale shudder of a ship leaving hyperspace. He’d spent the past few days holed up in the cabin with Zeb, with no further clue about their destination than when they started. Zeb was so committed to keeping Kallus in the dark, that he’d fetched their meals from the mess so Kallus didn’t have to leave. Not that he minded. It allowed the more playful part of him to indulge in a bit of role-play, knowing they wouldn’t get interrupted or be overheard. The Rebel captain and his Imperial prisoner sort of thing. Besides, they’d been apart more than they were together over the past five years, so he cherished the long, uninterrupted hours alone with Zeb. They rarely had the time to just be with one another during the war. To fall asleep with Zeb, knowing he would still be next to him come morning was a simple pleasure they had seldom experienced. Kallus felt positively giddy at the idea of staying in one place and putting down roots with Zeb. The rest of their lives lay ahead of them like blank pages in one of those ancient paper books. He switched off the holobook and slipped it into his bag.</p><p>The door swished open to admit Zeb, his face wreathed with a toothy grin. ‘Are we there yet?’ Kallus inquired dryly. Clearly, they were. He was well acquainted with the rhythms of starships. The subtle changes in the vibrations of the floor that signalled acceleration. The deep thrum of standard orbit that he sensed through the soles of his boots just now.</p><p>‘Yeah.’ Zeb held out a hand and tugged Kallus into the corridor. ‘I want ya to see it from up here,’ he said, leading Kallus toward the bridge. Zeb felt as nervous and fidgety as any kit. He couldn’t wait to see the expression on Kallus’ face when he saw Lira San for the first time. Zeb stopped several meters away from the door. ‘Close yer eyes.’</p><p>Kallus complied with an aggrieved sigh. Had he mentioned he hated surprises? ’Fine.’</p><p>‘No peeking.’</p><p>‘I’m not a child, Garazeb.’</p><p>Zeb waved a hand in front of Kallus’ face. ‘Hmmmm.’ He settled one large hand over his eyes. ‘Better use a little insurance.’ He wound his other arm around Kallus’ shoulders. ‘Ya trust me?’</p><p>‘If I don’t by now, Zeb, I never will.’</p><p>Zeb positioned him just so. ‘Ya ready?’</p><p>‘As ready as I ever shall be.’</p><p>Kallus heard the <em>whoosh</em> of a door sliding open, then let Zeb guide him onto the bridge. The further they went, the more the light that filtered through his eyelids brightened. They must be near a viewport. He could sense Zeb’s barely restrained excitement, from the faint purr rumbling in his chest to the slight bounce in his gait.</p><p>‘All right.’ Zeb grasped Kallus the the shoulder and prodded him to turn slightly, and then lifted his hand away. ’Open yer eyes.’</p><p>Kallus screwed his eyes up at sudden brightness, then gaped out of the viewport. ‘Where are we?’ he breathed, taking a few steps closer to the large pane of transparisteel.</p><p>‘Lira San.’</p><p>‘What’s Lira San…?’</p><p>‘The Lasat homeworld.’ Kallus’ face creased in confusion. ‘Do ya remember when ya chased us into a collapsed star cluster?’ Zeb asked. Kallus gave him a short nod, still transfixed by the planet below aglow with amber light. ‘I still can’t explain it, but between the Force, or Ashla, and using my bo-rifle in the way of the ancient Lasat, we found Lira San.’ He learned close to Kallus’ ear. ‘If ya hadn’t been on our tails, I might not’ve been desperate enough to try it.’ Soon, Zeb reasoned, he would tell Kallus the full story and explain his role in locating Lira San.</p><p>‘Then the Empire didn’t succeed...?’ Kallus choked.</p><p>‘No. There’s millions of us down there.’ Zeb chuckled softly. Kallus turned at the sound of the door to the bridge sliding open. Chava and Gron stood in the corridor with two other Lasat, ready to escort them to the planet.</p><p>It was one of the few times he ever saw pure, unbridled delight on Kallus’ face. His had past always lurked in the shadows, dimming even the brightest smile. Zeb stepped closer to Kallus, and placed a hand on his shoulder.</p><p>‘Welcome home, Alexsandr.’</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>1) I listened to the audiobook *Ahsoka* a couple of weeks ago while driving to and from work.  I like the idea of Kaeden being there at the end, after suffering so much at the hands of the Empire.  </p><p>2) Small detail, but in my HC, Kallus is a vegetarian.  The TL;DR version is his family was too poor to afford meat when he was a child, and  when he went into the Academy, they just got the protein bars, etc. that the Empire fed its active military.  So it's not really ever been a part of his diet.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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